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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28081377">The Case of the Stumped Detective</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cnoocy/pseuds/cnoocy'>cnoocy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Two Minute Mysteries - Donald J. Sobol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>1968, Canon-typical annoying solutions, F/M, Mystery, New York City, Stump the detective</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:49:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,444</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28081377</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cnoocy/pseuds/cnoocy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
      <p>Solutions appear in separate chapters, so that readers who wish to attempt the mysteries themselves should read chapter-by-chapter.</p>
    </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Octavia/Dr. Haledjian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Yuletide 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertVixen/gifts">DesertVixen</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Solutions appear in separate chapters, so that readers who wish to attempt the mysteries themselves should read chapter-by-chapter.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>China clinked as Mrs. Sydney's butler set tea for a party of two. Octavia put a cube of sugar in her cup and said, "I'm always happy to come to tea at your mansion, Mrs. Sydney, but I suspect my company isn't the only reason you invited me."</p><p>The wealthy woman's eyes crinkled with amusement. "As you know, my dear, my one unfulfilled desire in this year of nineteen sixty-eight is to stump your gentleman friend Dr. Haledjian. As I'm not getting any younger, I thought I'd get your advice. Is there some subject that he doesn't know? Food, music, drink, dance? I seem to have tried everything!"</p><p>Octavia thought, sipping her tea. So many dates spent listening to her famous detective recounting his past deductions. He always paid attention to every detail of any scene. It was one of the things she loved about him. Octavia leaned back and said, "Mrs. Sydney, I’m not sure I have an answer for you. Every time we go out, I get to hear about his many areas of expertise while I’m trying to order, or hoping to dance, or anything else one might do on a date. He’s so focused on solving mysteries to the exclusion of anything else. We're going out for my birthday a few Saturdays from now on the fifteenth, and I’m happy to steer the evening and get us to specific places at specific times. But I’m afraid that you need to come up with a way to stump the doctor on your own."</p><p>Mrs. Sydney finished eating a small cake and took a sip of tea. “You’ve given me more help than you realize. I’ll take you up on that offer if you can tell me where you’d like to go on your date.” She paused. “Ideally somewhere you both know well, and where they know you. I can take you both out for a fancier and less deceptive dinner later in the summer.”</p><p>The elegant young woman held her hands still for a moment. “We’ll start at Mare Nostrum for dinner, then to the Copper Saxophone for some dancing, and end at Dover’s for cocktails.”</p><p>Mrs. Sydney nodded, committing the names to memory. “I can work with that. Now, my dear, please tell me how you have been.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Case of the Stolen Fromage</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Dr. Haledjian! Miss Octavia!" cried the waiter at Mare Nostrum, their favorite Mediterranean restaurant, arriving at the table with Octavia and Dr. Haledjian’s preferred aperitifs. </p><p>The detective smiled, scanning the room, and waved away the menu. "The usual please, Luca." </p><p>Luca nodded, and the waiter handed Octavia a menu. “Miss Octavia will want to peruse the specials, of course.”</p><p>Octavia opened the menu. She always had trouble deciding between their salade Niçoise and the insalata Caprese as a salad course. However, tonight there was a note indicating that the Caprese was not available due to a shortage, and offering a tomato basil bruschetta as a substitute. Mentally noting the Niçoise as her choice, she was continuing to the entrées when Luca returned to the table with the manager and a sous-chef in tow.</p><p>The manager said, "Forgive me for interrupting your dinner, but there is a situation in the kitchen, and my good friend Mrs. Sydney has told me that you are quite the expert in these sorts of matters." He did not quite succeed at suppressing his smile, and Dr. Haledjian knew this was another round of stump-the-detective.</p><p>The sous-chef, with better acting skills, said, "I don't know what happened. I was preparing a cheese plate in the kitchen, and I needed more Banon à la feuille, so I went to the walk-in freezer. But though we got a whole package of them this morning, there were none in there! Someone must have run off with them!"</p><p>The manager put on a grumpy face with a wink to the sous-chef, who kept her face grave. "Banon is a specialty cheese, so we have to order it ahead of time. Not only is it a monetary loss to the restaurant, we'll have to completely rebalance the cheese plates to account for its absence if we can't find it!"</p><p>"Don't worry," said Dr. Haledjian. "Not only can I tell you why you didn't find the cheese, I can tell you where you should be able to find it."</p><p>Where was the cheese?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Case of the Stolen Fromage - Solution</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The cheese was in the refrigerator the whole time. A reputable restaurant would never store good cheese in the freezer, especially a soft specialty cheese such as Banon. Freezing creates ice crystals in cheese, damaging its texture.</p><p>“How did Mrs. Sydney know I’d be here tonight?” mused Dr. Haledjian.</p><p>“I may have given her our itinerary,” Octavia said with a smile, “but that’s all I know. She probably has more plans to stump you tonight, so stay alert!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Case of the Missing Saxophone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next stop was a jazz club just a few minutes’ stroll downtown. Octavia and Dr. Haledjian arrived at their table to hear applause and the bandleader announcing, “.. and that was our take on the best-selling jazz single ever. Now we’ll play some music that will really get you moving!” </p><p>The bassist started a riff and Octavia said, “It’s my birthday. Let’s get out onto the dance floor before you get distracted by a story.” Dr. Haledjian chuckled and obliged.</p><p>As that dance ended, a well-dressed woman approached. “Dr. Haledjian, my name is Ms. Melbourne. I know you’re a friend of my friend Mrs. Sydney, and she was just at the Cosmopolitan Club telling me of your deductive skills. I’ve just come back in from the street, trying to find a thief who stole my saxophone from my seat while I was enjoying the show. May I request your help?” </p><p>As they went to Ms. Melbourne’s table, Octavia dashed to their table for her pocketbook for money to tip the band. She noted two tip jars, one for the band and one on top of the piano. It had a sign on it: “For our brothers on the keys who are on the picket to get their due playing pipes for the Lord.” She put some money in that one too and returned to Ms. Melbourne’s table.</p><p>“So I looked down at my chair and the sax was gone,” Ms. Melbourne was saying. “The thief must have grabbed it just then and slipped away in the crowd of dancers. I ran out the door and passed you entering. Since I didn’t see anyone on the street, I came back in, knowing I could count on you to figure out the truth.”</p><p>“I can indeed, madam,” said the sleuth, “and the truth is that your story cannot be true!”</p><p>What gave the story away?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Case of the Missing Saxophone - Solution</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The band had just finished playing a cover of the “best-selling jazz single” when Octavia and Dr. Haledjian entered. That means they were playing <i>Take Five</i> by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, which is in five-four time. It is regularly used for choreographed dance performances, but non-professional dancers find it very difficult, and it would not bring a crowd of dancers onto a floor at a club. </p><p>Once her good-natured deception had been revealed, Ms. Melbourne retrieved her soprano sax from behind the piano and joined the band for the next number.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Case of the Tipster Informer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After dancing, the pair headed to a cocktail bar they knew for drinks. Dr. Haledjian ordered an Ararat with a nod to the bartender, while Octavia looked at their list of cocktails. The warm night called for something like a Piña Colada, but it was listed as unavailable this evening, so she opted for a Bahama Mama, despite the name, which seemed crass.</p><p>They were sipping on their drinks when two men approached the bar. Dr. Haledjian smiled to see his friend Bertie Tilford in tipsy conversation with his occasional nemesis Nick the Nose. "Haledjian, old chap, you're the, the, just the man I need! This fine individual is offering me what he says are dynamite tips for tomorrow's race at Saratoga, and I want to make sure that they're legitimate before I pay."</p><p>"Expanding from informer to tipster, Nick?" asked Dr. Haledjian.</p><p>"I can't resist easy money," said Nick. "But this tip is bonafide, I tell ya. A fortune in winnings in exchange for less than the train ticket there!"</p><p>"Save your money," the detective told the englishman. "This man is not selling you anything you can use, and you'd probably realize it yourself  if you had a little less drink in you!"</p><p>What didn't Bertie realize?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Case of the Tipster Informer - Solution</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That there is no horse racing on Sundays at a New York track under the state's blue laws. (This would change in 1973 but even Dr. Haledjian doesn't know that!)</p><p>Once Nick's ruse was exposed, he admitted that he'd been put up to the scheme by "some old rich lady," produced a large roll of twenty-dollar bills, and bought a round for the house.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Case of the Mugged Butler</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As they walked back to the subway, Octavia leaned on Dr. Haledjian's arm. "Did you enjoy matching wits with Mrs. Sydney in absentia?" she asked him.</p><p>"I did, but I feel that I'm missing something. Some of these mysteries were less complex than I expected, so I wonder if something else is going on…" The famous detective was interrupted by the sight of a familiar well-dressed man. It took Octavia a second to place his face, but Dr. Haledjian immediately put his hand out. "Mr. Cairns? What brings Mrs. Sydney's butler so far down Fifth Avenue?"</p><p>"I'm afraid I've been mugged, Dr. Haledjian. I'm pleased to see you so you can attest to Madam that I failed her errand through no fault of my own."</p><p>Octavia ushered the man to a nearby bench. "Please sit and tell us what happened."</p><p>"I went out with a grocery list this evening to replenish our supplies for next week's meals. I came down to this area, because I like to listen to the organist at the Saturday night Mass at Saint Patrick's. I sat in the pews letting the low notes shake my weary bones, then went to the market. I acquired every item on my list, and was on my way back when a ruffian demanded not only my money but all of my groceries! All I have left is the list." He offered the sheet of paper, and Octavia read it over Dr. Haledjian's arm:</p><p>Coconut cream, heavy, 1 can<br/>Oranges, fresh, 1 bag<br/>Mozzarella cheese, 8 ounces<br/>Portabella mushrooms, 4 ounces<br/>Limes, key, 8<br/>Endive, 1 head<br/>Tomatoes, plum, at least 5<br/>Eggs, 1 dozen</p><p>Dr. Haledjian said, "The timing of our meeting, and the message hidden in the first letters of this list, make me wonder if this is your employer trying to stump me for the fourth time tonight. If it's not, you should certainly come with me to give a description of the man who mugged you to the police. If it is, then you can tell her that her ambition is indeed COMPLETE and she has stumped me."</p><p>"Oh, she has," said Octavia, delighted, "and this time <i>I</i> can prove it!"</p><p>What had Octavia seen that Dr. Haledjian hadn't?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Case of the Mugged Butler - Solution and Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"There are three things false in your story," explained Octavia to the laughing butler, "one with your telling and two with the list." </p><p>"The first is that you couldn't have your bones shaken by organ playing tonight because the church organists are on strike. When I tipped the musicians at the jazz club, they had an additional tip jar out for 'our brothers on the keys who are on the picket to get their due playing pipes for the Lord,' that is, striking church organists. Dr. Haledjian didn't see it because he was solving Ms. Melbourne's mystery."</p><p>"The second is that you couldn't have bought heavy coconut cream tonight. If you could have, then so could have the cocktail bar, and they weren't able to make me a Piña Colada, but they could make a Bahama Mama. That means they did have rum and pineapple juice, so they must not have had coconut cream."</p><p>"Similarly, if our restaurant wasn't able to make insalata Caprese, but could make a tomato basil bruschetta, there must not be any mozzarella cheese for sale anywhere in the area. Both of those are ones that Dr. Haledjian missed because he was scanning the room for new mysteries, instead of deciding what to order with me." She turned to the detective. "You are very dear to me, but you could stand to include me a bit more in your wonderful sense of perception." She kissed his cheek.</p><p>Laughter and applause came from a limousine pulling to the curb beside them. Mrs. Sydney opened the door and waved all three inside. "Thank you for indulging me tonight, my dears! Will you come uptown for coffee?" </p><p>Not that many minutes later, they sat in Mrs. Sydney's parlor as she continued to explain. “I had asked Octavia if there were any gaps in Dr. Haledjian’s expertise, but she inadvertently gave me a better answer for how to stump the master of mysteries. The only thing that will get you, doctor, to miss a clue, is another mystery that’s distracting you from the clue in what Octavia is doing.”</p><p>Dr. Haledjian nodded. “I will certainly work to improve that in the future, for my own sake as well as Octavia’s. I am still astonished at your elaborate scheme, though. I can see how you set up some of the mysteries I solved, especially if Octavia had provided you with our schedule, but how did you manufacture two food shortages and a labor strike?"</p><p>"First, a coupon campaign to local pizzerias in the neighborhood and their customers, causing a spike in demand for mozzarella. Second, a brief hitch in some charitable donations to local churches, which I will be correcting shortly. Third, a highly recommended recipe for coconut cake in food columns of the Post, the Times, and the Daily News. Don't make a face, doctor," she said to the detective's gasp. "I'm the richest woman in New York. This isn't the first time I've committed market manipulation, or even the most frivolous reason I've had for doing so.”</p><p>Dr. Haledjian sputtered, at a loss for words.</p><p>Octavia laughed and hugged the detective. “Well, I, at least, thank both of you for a wonderful birthday. Mrs. Sydney, what are you going to do now that you’ve stumped Dr. Haledjian?”</p><p>Mrs. Sydney put down her coffee. “I hadn’t thought of that. I’ll need some new goal that no-one’s ever done, like standing on the moon or finding the Titanic.”</p><p>“Then I’ll wish good luck to the moon and the Titanic,” laughed Dr. Haledjian. “They’ll need it!”</p>
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